Milngavie Golf Club
Local Rules Effective April 2026
1. Definitions
General Area: Formerly ‘through the green’, any area within the boundaries of the course excluding teeing area, greens, penalty areas, bunkers.
Closely Mown Area: Formerly ‘the fairway’
Mown Area: Formerly ‘semi-rough’, also any area where cutters have been used to semi-rough height or below.
Non-Mown Area: Formerly ‘rough’.
Penalty Area: Formerly ‘hazards’ including water and staked areas. Generally, any area where a player may take relief
Bunker: A specially prepared area of sand, which is a hollow from which turf or soil has been removed
Practice Area General area to the right of the 1st fairway designated by the line of trees.
2. Course Boundaries and Out of Bounds
a. In or over the River Allander at the 1st, 8th and 9th holes.
b. Over any boundary wall or fence, or beyond any white stakes.
c. In the car park, or on or over the road to the right of the 18th hole, even if it comes to rest on another part of the course that is in bounds for other holes.
3. Penalty Areas
Red Penalty Areas: designated as any area inside the boundaries of the course as indicated by red stakes. These are:
a. The burn crossing the 1st hole.
b. The area the right of the 1st hole beyond the burn. The area is defined by red stakes and the delineated mown area extending to the mown path leading to the practice area, and the River Allander. The Practice Area is not a penalty area.
c. The ditch to the right of the 2nd hole
d. The burn behind the 2nd green.
e. The ditch behind the 3rd green
f. The drainage ditch to the left of the 3rd and 16th holes as defined by red stakes.
g. The area to the left of the 5th and 9th holes as defined by red stakes.
h. The burns to the right of the 7th hole.
i. The area behind and to the right of the 12th green.
j. The area to the right of the 13th hole beyond the internal wall to the edges of the mown areas on the hillside. Defined by the red stakes and delineated mown area.
k. The area to the right of the 14th hole from the trees on the upslope to behind the 12th teeing area and to the right of the proposed new 15th tee.
l. The area to the right of the 15th hole extending from the non-mown area behind the 12th green to the buggy path to the right of the 15th green. Area defined by red stakes and delineated mown area.
m. The ditch to the left of the 17th hole.
Model Rule B-3
If a player does not know whether their ball is in a red penalty area at the 1st, 9th 14th and 15th holes, the player may play a provisional ball. In playing the provisional ball, the player may use:
I. stroke-and-distance relief option (Rule 17.1d),
II. the back-on-the-line relief option (see Rule 17.1d(2)) or,
III. the lateral relief option (see Rule 17.1d(3)).
IV. if a dropping zone is available for this penalty area, the player may also use that relief option (Model Local Rule E-1)
Once the player has played a provisional ball under this Local Rule, they may not use any further options under Rule 17.1 in relation to the original ball.
If the Original Ball is found in the Penalty Area, the player may then choose either to:
- Continue to play the original ball as it lies in the penalty area, in which case the provisional ball must not be played. All strokes with that provisional ball before it was abandoned (including strokes made and any penalty strokes solely from playing that ball) do not count, or
- Continue to play the provisional ball in which case the original ball must not be played.
When Original Ball Is Not Found Within Three-Minute Search Time or Is Known or Virtually Certain to Be in Penalty Area, the provisional ball becomes the player's ball in play.
4. Bunkers
The practice bunkers located in the Practice Area are Ground Under Repair (GUR) and are part of the General Area. A player must take free relief under Rule 16.1b
5. Putting Areas
a. Where temporary putting greens or ‘winter greens’ are used as putting greens, any putting green that has been replaced by a temporary putting green is a ‘wrong green’, and free relief from interference must be taken under Rule 13.1f
b. The practice green, located in the Practice Area is GUR repair and a player must take free relief under Rule 16.1b
6. Ground Under Repair (GUR)
GUR areas are no play zones. In these situations where GUR has been clearly identified, the player must take free relief under Rule 16.1b.
a. GUR is defined by any area encircled by a white line or blue stakes.
b. Exposed Rocks - If a player’s ball lies in the Mown Area and there is interference from exposed rocks exposed rocks as GUR. But relief is not allowed if the tree roots only interfere with the player’s stance.
c. Exposed Tree Roots -If a player’s ball lies in the Mown Area and there is interference from exposed tree roots the tree roots are treated as GUR.
relief is not allowed if the tree roots only interfere with the player’s stance.
d. Areas in bunkers where sand has been removed by the movement of water resulting in deep furrows through the sand are GUR. The ball may be lifted and cleaned but must be dropped in the bunker.
e. Astro turf or other artificial drainage plugs on the putting green.
f. In any mown area, any deep depressions, tracks, or ruts made by tractors or green-keeping machinery.
g. Where cracks in the ground appear in the General Area.
relief is not allowed if the cracks only interfere with the player’s stance.
h. Areas of damage in mown areas of the course or bunkers, caused by animal damage (burrowing, holes, molehills, hoof marks etc). Relief is not allowed if the damage only interferes with the player’s stance (Model Local Rule F-6). Animal ‘dung’ may be treated either as a loose impediment or GUR.
i. In any General Area, greenkeepers cuttings or where trees have been taken down and surrounding area has not been cleared.
7. Special Relief Procedures
a. Aeration Holes (Model Local Rule E-4)
In any Closely Mown Area of the course, a ball that comes to rest in or on an aeration hole may be lifted without penalty, cleaned and dropped within one club-length from the nearest point of complete relief but not nearer the hole under Rule 16.1b. The ball when dropped must first strike part of the course through the green.
On the putting green, the player shall place the ball at the nearest spot not nearer the hole that avoids such situation.
However, interference does not exist if the aeration hole only interferes with the player's stance or area of intended swing or on the player's line of play.
b. Preferred Lies (Model Local Rule E-3)
When preferred lies are in operation as indicated by the committee, a ball lying on a Closely Mown area of the course may, without penalty, be moved or may be lifted, cleaned and placed within 6 inches of where it originally lay, but not nearer the hole and not in a penalty area or in a bunker or on a putting green. A player may move or place his ball once, and after the ball has been moved or placed, it is in play.
8. Immovable Obstructions
a. All paths, steps and roadways (other than in 2(c) above).
b. The flagpole and the slabbed surround at the 18th hole.
c. All fixed course furniture such as shelters, sheds, immovable direction posts, seats, warning bells, sprinkler covers/heads, drain covers, yardage markers, stiles, stakes (excluding boundary stakes), temporary structures (tents, gazebo’s, etc)
d. The stone bridge at the 1st hole.
e. Any and all white stone road markers.
Ball Lying on or close to the putting green (Model Local Rule F5.1)
The player has an extra option to take relief when such immovable obstructions are on or close to the putting green and on the line of play:
Ball in General Area - The player may take relief under if an immovable obstruction is on the line of play, and is:
-
- On or within two club-lengths of the putting green, and
- Within two club-lengths of the ball.
complete relief must be taken, which includes both physical and line of play interference.
9. Integral Part of the Course (Rule 33.2a)
The internal wall on the 13th hole
10. General
a. There will be no practice on the course, including all tees and greens. Practice can only take place in the designated Practice Area.
b. If a match loses more than one clear hole on the players in front, it must allow the following match to play through.
c. Players should play without delay and if it becomes apparent that a ball will not be easily found, they must signal the players behind to play through. They should not search for 3 minutes before doing so.
c. Please Replace divots, repair pitch marks and rake bunkers.